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vendor reviews: wedding planners/ coordinators
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Reviewing Shelley Inglis, Owner of Shell Design Weddings
Shelley Inglis, Owner of Shell Design Weddings, has what many brides are looking for in a wedding planner... On a professional note, Shelley is certified, organized, and she lives and breathes weddings. On a personal note, she's got the energy, style and a personality that automatically leaves you wanting to be both her bride and her friend.
Though admittedly relatively new to wedding planning, Shell Design Weddings has planned events large and small. Shelley has working relationships with many well-known wedding experts in the area such as Hauser Hall, The Cake Box, the Church Restaurant in Stratford and St. George Banquet Hall.
It was our pleasure to interview Shelley to find out more about what she had to offer K-W, Cambridge & Guelph area brides in The Ring. Let us explain...
Shelley is an active member of the 'Ladies Who Launch' group alongside other professional women of all ranks and industries, led by Toronto area wedding planner, Cynthia Martyn. "The information, support, networking opportunities, information and inspiration I receive from this group is so valuable," says Shelley. "I am taking as many steps as I can to build my business, make new connections, learn new techniques or viewpoints on what I do and where I'm going..." says Shelley, whose biggest goal is to offer the best possible expertise to the clients who choose her.
To help her continually learn new tricks of the trade, Shelley is taking an 'Introductory Intensive Class' from Flower School New York under the owner Michael George (who is a floral designer to the stars!) in order to learn more about floral design so that she can help clients with this aspect of their wedding. She is also doing an ‘Introductory Cake Design’ class with Yvonne Zesner from The Cake Box. Both courses Shelley says are personal interest courses. "I feel they will benefit me when talking to clients and helping them with overall wedding design."
So, with a busy schedule and a long list of ambitious goals for her business (including same gender union marriages, corporate & special events, and fundraising), it looks like everything is going according to plan for this wedding planner. Through Shell Design Weddings, Shelley is not only fulfilling her own dreams, but the wedding dreams of many Southwestern Ontario brides and she couldn’t be happier about it. "I am on a high for a couple of days after each wedding," she told us. "Working with the couples, the vendors/venue, and pulling off an event - the logistics, times. - I love it. Even if the event had its stressful moments, in the end, when it's all been averted and dealt with - everyone is happy. It's a great thing!"
Classic elegance, funky details Working with Shelley should have you feeling like you've got a wedding planner, a new friend, and all of your wedding details under control - all in one great package. "As a planner, we all offer the same services," says Shelley. "How we stand out is in the connection we have with the couples we work with. I believe that honesty, trust and friendliness are key." Shelley adds that many brides have told her that when they hire Shelley they feel like they've hired their best girlfriend - and that is how she approaches her work. "I treat my weddings as if it was my best girl/guy friend getting married - and it shows in the connections I have with the couples I work with."
Linda Sood, who married Justin on May 9, 2008, hired Shelley for Day-of Wedding Consultation so that she didn’t have to lift a finger. She told us that it felt like she was hiring a friend help her plan her wedding. "Shelley was so knowledgeable and seemed to take such a real and genuine interest in my wedding."
Shelley makes it her goal to show you that pulling off your dream wedding doesn't have to be an overwhelming experience. Her ability to keep her clients calm, focused, and happy is likely due in large part to her open, easy going nature. July 7, 2007 bride, Suzanne Killing Wood, told staff at The Ring that she trusted Shelley's abilities to help her create her perfect wedding. "We had an immediate connection... There is a comfort that comes from being in her presence and knowing that she understands your vision and values its importance."
Jenna Ruttan who was married on November 18, 2006 agreed, "All aspects of the planning were great fun with Shelley. She was able to take the stress away from me quite easily."
Shelley believes that building these relationships and sharing her own ideas and love for weddings are just natural parts of the job. "It's about making sure you have the day you want, not the one your parents (or friends or relatives or vendors...) might have in mind. It's about your style and your taste," says Shelley. "I love helping couples create their own stylish, classically elegant weddings and then helping them use funky, unique details that really show their personalities and round out the style of the day."
To that end, Shelley jumps on any opportunity to create unique weddings, and ensures that no matter what kind of wedding you want, there's one variable you must obey: "Have fun! Your wedding day is supposed to be fun, so don't blow it up and be stressed over the planning. It will go by so fast. It's the best time of your life."
"I look at how things can be done and I show couples how to be themselves and use it to put a different spin on their wedding," she admits. No matter what your needs, Shelley can work with you. She offers full service packages, day-of planning, consulting, and has worked with brides who either want to do the majority of their planning but need a little help and direction to those who have no idea what they want, or where to start.
Planning with Shell Design Weddings Your relationship with Shelley starts the second you contact her. "When a bride emails me, I call them right away to talk wedding details," she explains. "I like to meet and chat casually first. There's no commitment required. I like to do as much as I can personally to put a face to me and my business."
The initial, free consultation takes thirty minutes to an hour and covers your budget and desires. You don't have a budget? No problem - Shelley says the average K-W, Cambridge, Guelph area wedding runs between $20,000 and $30,000 these days. She happily admits that she can plan events with budgets from $5,000 to $30,000. "I'll help you find out what it would cost to have the elements you want." From there, she'll help you prioritize what's most important. "Everything in life is about priorities, especially your wedding." Then it's all about the stuff you dream about - your wedding's style, size, food, venue, look and feel.
In order to make sure all of that is perfect, you need to find the right vendors, says Shelley - she also says she spends a lot of time meeting and getting to know as many of the local experts in the area as she can. "Networking and making connections is just part of the job for me... I think it's important to have a good mix of vendor contacts for a bride and groom to choose from if they need to... Experts for every different budget, style, etc."
Jenna Ruttan said that she and her groom liked that Shelley was familiar with so many areas in Ontario. "It helped us to decide our venue. She already had so many contacts in the area where we ended up being married; that made things that much easier to plan out."
As part of her Full-Service Wedding Coordination, she offers to go with you on limited vendor visits to ensure continuity of design and to assist with contract details.
Then when you meet with Shelley two weeks before your wedding to finalize arrangements, she'll take all vendor info, work out a timeline including the rehearsal, and introduce herself to all your vendors to ensure a seamless day.
Packaging your wedding plans With Shelley, you can have as little or as much assistance as you need.
Her Full-Service Wedding Coordination package gives you planning from point A to point Z, and everything in between. This package costs 10% of the bridal budget, or a minimum of $1500. Jenna, who chose the full planning package for her wedding, says, "My wedding was more than I had hoped for. The flowers and the decorated hall were way more than I had imagined. She did an 'over the top' job."
Day-of Wedding Coordination services are $750 and include on-site organization, expertise and problem solving on the day of your wedding, as well as a meeting up to one month before the wedding to go over the wedding day logistics and any questions that come up. Tyla had Shell Design Weddings do Day-of Coordination for her June 2008 wedding and says that "Shelley's services were very reasonably priced and fell within our budget. The value of the service we received far exceeded the price we paid!"
Shelley offers a new Partial Service Wedding Coordination service, which, for $1100, provides you with everything included in the Day-of Wedding Coordination package, but also six total hours of consultation during any planning stage. "This package is great for 'active planners' who still want to plan most of the aspects of their wedding, but may need a little bit of advice or guidance along the way."
Shell Design Weddings offers Weddings 101 Consulting for $75 per hour. If you choose the Full-Service Wedding Coordination package after your consultation, your hourly fee is waived. Hourly consulting is most often for couples who aren't sure yet how to get started (or how to get back on track).
Shelley Inglis recommends booking her as far ahead as twelve months or more, to ensure that she can help you. "As soon as you think you might need a little bit of help or inspiration, send me an email or give me call," says Shelley. "There's no pressure to buy and I can help you get started or determine whether you need help or not." She does limit the number of Full-Service Wedding Coordination events she does each year, trying to plan her calendar so that she has only one per month.
That said, Shelley does not limit her Day-of Wedding Coordination or her Weddings 101 Consulting - if these are the services you need Shell Design Weddings to take care of, she can put you on her schedule if she's available.
Gerrit Nagelhout and Tereza Korbel had Shelley help out with Day-of Wedding Consultation for their unique, African themed reception at the African Lion Safari in September 2008. Since the ceremony was in Waterloo, Tereza and Gerrit needed someone to decorate the tent with African décor items, linens, floral arrangements and party favours at the Safari before guests arrived. Tereza told us that "Shelley took this task on and by far exceeded our expectations. She rented a mini van so that she could transport the decorative items and flowers to the African Lion Safari. She also hired an assistant for the day (a fellow wedding coordinator) so that she could make sure things were running smoothly both in town at our church, and out at the African Lion Safari. They did a wonderful job of decorating, again exceeding our expectations!"
detailsdetailsdetails • To ensure Shell Design Weddings can help you with your wedding, book them 12 or more months ahead. For consultations and those 'Help me!' situations closer to the wedding, give Shelley a call or email, and if she's available, she'll help you out. • The Full-Service Wedding Coordination package is 10% of your wedding budget, or $1500 minimum. Your deposit is 20% of the full wedding planning fee, due at booking, and then monthly payments arranged between you and Shelley, based on your budget at the time of booking. So, for example, if your wedding budget is $25,000 when you hire Shell Design Weddings, then the total fee would be $2,500 (10% of your wedding budget), and $500 (20% of that fee) would be due at booking. • The Day-of Wedding Coordination package is $750. At booking, a deposit of $250 is due, with the remaining $500 due at your rehearsal. • For Partial Service Wedding Coordination you'll pay $1100. $550 is your deposit and the remaining $550 is due the day before the wedding. • Weddings 101 Consulting is $75 per hour and is paid upon completion of the consultation.
For more information... Shelley Inglis of Shell Design Weddings welcomes all inquiries to her email shelley@shelldesignweddings.com, or phone 519-504-6367. View more details on her services, more raves and her portfolio online at www.shelldesignweddings.com.
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The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca |
Shell
Design Weddings turns love stories into wedding stories, with style
Today,
Shelley Inglis runs and operates Shell Design Weddings, her own event
planning company whose doors opened in January 2007. Shelley is WPIC
Certified and worked on seven weddings in 2008. She told us that through
those experiences, she has gained knowledge. "I've learned that no matter what the bride’s personality is, she will get
stressed out in the days leading up to her wedding. That’s when I do
most of my consulting and counseling for my clients. I feel this is the
time when they build the most trust in me and let go of the stress. It's
rewarding - especially when I see them truly enjoying one of the biggest
days of their life!"